Max Verstappen admitted he thought he was on course for pole position after his strong run in the second round of qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver used the same set of tyres to progress through the first two rounds of qualifying and expected a significant gain in performance when he switched to new tyres for his final run.“In Q1 and Q2, I felt really good,” he explained. “I did my fastest lap in Q2 on a used set, so when I went to Q3, I had high hopes.
“But unfortunately, it just felt bad. I just didn’t really have the grip that I wanted, so I couldn’t lean on the rear the way I wanted in the final sector, and that just cost me too much time.
“Of course, when you look at the sheets and you’re starting P2, it’s nice and it’s a good result, but I was hoping for more, and this was just not it. But if it’s not a great feeling in qualifying and then that’s a P2, I’ll take it. But there’s no need to then smile and be super-happy about it.”
Most drivers failed to improve their lap times on their final runs in Q3 as the weather conditions changed. But Verstappen suspects there was more to Red Bull’s difficulties than that.
“The wind, for sure, picked up. But even with that, it’s not an excuse for why Q3 felt the way it felt for me in the first run.
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“The second run, for sure, was influenced by the wind, but it just didn’t feel the same.
“Q2 felt great on a used set, and then you think, okay, you put a new set on, now it’s time to really push, and it just didn’t come alive. That was my feeling, but that can happen.”
Verstappen does not believe he was disadvantaged by not running a new set of tyres in Q2.
“I’ve done that many times before. I’ve even qualified once with only two sets, so there is no explanation why in Q3 it just didn’t come together, apart from the last lap, where I think everyone struggled for lap time,” he said.
“But it’s something that we have to look at because it’s very odd, of course, that you have the best feeling on a used set.”
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